What if they get leggy?

[desertgirl]

Starting some more of my seeds this weekend (yay!), but am afraid of the dreaded leggies. I've read that for my 'maters this is not so bad, as I will plant them sideways anyway for good roots. But what about other stuff? What if the weather doesn't cooperate-is there something that one can do to help correct the dreaded leggies?

 

[wifezilla]

Get some 175w equivalent CFLs. Then you wont have to worry about it. Clamp lights with reflectors are only about $6 or $7. I have my CFLs in one room on a cheap timer. In the kitchen, I have them all plugged in to a strip and just turn them on in the morning and off when we go to bed. Without CFLs, my starters always get leggy and then die when I try to transplant.

 

[obsessed]

Most of my stuff gets leggy. It just means you have to be more carefull as they are more delicate. So if they get leggy give them more light and that will help them a ton. Or give tehm enough light so that they don't get leggy i.e non leave them on a dark fridge for a week+ like I do. Even with the leggyness I am still able to grow stuff. I just have to start more than I want.

 

[digitS']

Lack of light? Give each plant some room so it isn't shaded by the neighboring plants. Small fans help toughen the plant with air movement. Most important, lower temperatures will slow stretching that result from lack of light. Are you sure Albuquerque suffers from lack of light, DesertGirl?

Greenhouse growers are often striving for an average daily temperature around 65F but they don't want much difference between night and day temps and they probably don't want to see night temperatures drop below 58. See where they are going with that?

That will probably make things too difficult for a home gardener. And, you are trying to give them a lot of light, the spring sky may not cooperate but when it does - your sunny window can get hot! Finally, if the seedlings are in the house, well, they tend to be at "room-temperature" which is darn-near tropical, you know.

Some of my best plant starting was done on a long shelf, beneath a south window in my utility room. That room had heat but I could shut it off. The temperature out there was cool. (In fact, during the coldest days of winter I had trouble making sure the pipes didn't freeze.)

On a sunny spring day, I would open the door to the kitchen and allow some of that heat in the utility room to move on into the house. It could get warm in that small room when there was lots of sunlight but otherwise, the air in there was about 60 or lower every night and not much warmer on an overcast day.

If you are fortunate to have a utility room like this - you can make good use of it. But really, with the abundant New Mexican sunshine - you probably have good plant starting conditions.

Steve

edited to add: Now, I'm not talking about seed-starting and low temperatures. Seeds benefit from a fair amount of heat. I'm talking about what to do with the seedlings once they have popped up!

 

[Grow 4 Food]

Ok, I will ask..... What do you mean by leggy?

 

[wifezilla]

Leggy means they are thin and skinny. A sign they are growing tall trying to get to more light. The plants like this are weak and don't often transplant well to the outdoors.

Small fans help toughen the plant with air movement.

This is a really good idea and one I haven't tried yet. I have a fan around here somewhere....

you are trying to give them a lot of light, the spring sky may not cooperate but when it does - your sunny window can get hot!

If you have newer windows, this isn't much of a problem. I have new windows with LOW-E glass. No more roasting in the summer! My old windows would turn the kitchen in to a oven by spring.

 

[Catalina]

If you are using lights, bring the lights down closer to your plants.
The lights should only ever be an inch or maybe two inches above your soil when the seeds are sprouting. After they sprout wait until they grow up to the light, move them 1/2 inch, let them grow up to the light, move the light up 1/2 inch and so on until you are ready to plant.

I've never had the lights burn the leaves.

 

[desertgirl]

Still a relative noob, so no grow lights yet. My set up is a heating pad under a south facing window. We do get a good bit of sunshine here in The Land of Enchantment, and I am hoping that this is enough to discourage the dreaded leggies. The cauliflower I planted said 8-14 days to sprout, and they have popped up in only 6 days. That should be a good sign, huh?

I really like the fan idea....

 

[Grow 4 Food]

I was always told to keep them within a couple inches of the light (if you are using one). Might be difficult if you are using sun. I always run a fan in my hot room and greenhouse. enough that feels like there is obvious air movement when you walk in.

 

[HunkieDorie23]

I am pretty cheap (just ask my kids), I bought some cheap florescent for $7 at walmart. I use boxes that you can get from the store (free), the ones under the soups and canned goods. Stack them up so that the plants are 3-4 inches from the lights. As the plants grow, remove a box. Keep boxes to help carry plants for hardening and transplanting. Then you can recycle or turn the box to compost. If you don't want to invest in lights you can use a lamp with one of the new Florescent bulbs. Use a high wattage one, 25 watts won't due. And keep the plants close the the bulb for the extra light.